When does spring season start for you?

[fe6250]

Our USTA spring season officially kicks off the last week of February - here in NC and I got to say it's about freakin' time! Mixed and combo are fun and indoor bides the time - but this is the best part of the year as far as I'm concerned and the most competitive tennis.

Are others starting now? If not - when? Is this your favorite part of the year too or you couldn't care less? Weigh in!

 

[dgrave2]

well in my part of NC, our season starts next Sunday!!!!

 

[goober]

Mid january here, but I am not playing on a team this session. I guess I can still join and I have been asked, but team tennis is not a big thing with me. If there weren't so much driving and all the politics and drama I may be a little more into it.

 

[ChrisNC]

Great question. I haven't heard from my Captain yet, but it's either the last week of Feb or the first week of March.

 

[flash9]

Lets Get Started Already!

In Raleigh NC the Men's 4.0 start this Sunday!

 

[saram]

March 15th here. While this is my favorite league to play in, it is not my favorite season. I really prefer the heat of July and August down here in the south and watching and making my opponents suffer in the heat. Temps in the 100's really bring out one's true conditioning.

 

[dgrave2]

lot of NC guys here lol.

 

[ChrisNC]

lot of NC guys here lol.

I wonder if we have any in the same areas. Let's do area and bracket.

Charlotte - Men's 3.5 (Monday Nights)

 

[boilerfan]

I am playing 4.5 in Cary/Durham. Cary starts next weekend(17th) and Durham has their captains meeting next weekend and probably starts early March. Cary's is a bit early for me, but at least it gets us out there.

 

[fe6250]

I play out of the Lake Norman area leagues mostly in both 3.5 and 4.0 leagues.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Mid-April here.

I'm putting a new team together. It consists of my 3.0 teammates who moved up to 3.5, the top half of my 6.5 combo team, and some of the day players from my 3.5 day team. Throw in a few people these women know, and I already have 12-14 players.

It has been easier than I expected. When I put together 2.5, 3.0 and 5.5 combo teams, I had to see everyone hit before taking them because these players often have no Tennislink record. And 2.5 includes everyone from 1.0-2.5, so it can get scary.

At 3.5, players tend to have a long history. If someone is playing 7.0 mixed, 8.0 mixed and 7.5 combo and isn't getting destroyed, I feel comfortable taking them without a "try-out." So that's what I've done.

Can't wait for April. It's going to be a bummer of a season, however. One of our main facilities was supposed to re-open in December. Now they are saying August. Since there are not enough indoor courts (and the league won't schedule matches outdoors because of our freakish summer weather), the rumors are that the league will adopt the following measures:

90-minute matches
Some matches starting at 6 pm on weeknights
Some split matches because few facilities can give us 5 courts

I am not happy, but at least we know we'll have our snazzy new facility in time for Fall Combo.

 

[tennis-n-sc]

We have to have the rosters with at least 8 players registered by Feb. 8. We have about 18-20 teams at the adult 3.5 level ( There will be two divisions) so our season is likely to begin the last Saturday of Feb or the first of March. Either way, it'll be cold and windy for a few matches.

 

[shell]

Late March or early April here in New Mexico. We are practicing 2 times per week now getting ready. I'm playing on a team that went to national last year (I didn't play on it) so I am hoping for a long season - with some mixed thrown in during the hot summer months to keep it going.

 

[Topaz]

Like Cindy, indoor USTA season will start mid-April. Our outdoor USTA season will start early May. I will co-captain our outdoor team.

I'm not quite ready...would like to work on my serve a bit more (it is coming along) as well as my backhand, which can still go wonky on me. Would also like to really learn how to slice for real instead of the improvised slice I sometimes do (but it seems to work well!).

Also have a few fitness goals to work on before then...it seems that I need to join the 'slow as molasses' club!

rumors are that the league will adopt the following measures:

90-minute matches
Some matches starting at 6 pm on weeknights
Some split matches because few facilities can give us 5 courts

I am not happy, but at least we know we'll have our snazzy new facility in time for Fall Combo.

Cindy, we had lots of split matches last season...great for the singles players who got an earlier start, but not so great for doubles who ended up playing really late. I'm hoping to be one of the early bird singles players this year! Even facilities that can give us 5 courts will often make us split to they have courts left for their members.

Indoor we already have 90 minute matches. Word to the wise...win your first set!!!

Our starts are anywhere from 6pm to 9:30 (ugh).

 

[Supernatural_Serve]

Captains meetings/Team Formation (Feb)
Team Practices (Feb indoors, Mar outdoors)
Matches (Apr)

I just learned that one of the teams I play on is moving from hard to green clay (har-tru) for our home matches (2 of 6 teams home court is clay in this 4.0 league).

I'm not in agreement with this based on our roster, not so much the doubles, but more because of our singles specialists.

 

[10SRKT]

Ours started last week (indoor - this is Portland, OR after all!). I am rated 3.0 but I joined both 3.0 and 3.5 women's teams. Played a 3.5 doubles match last weekend and WON! Way to start off the season!

 

[fe6250]

Our captains meeting is week after next (2/21) and we start playing OUTDOORS the following week! Got to almost 75 here on Tuesday and seems to be hovering in the high 50s, so hopefully we will be ok.

 

[ChrisNC]

Our captains meeting is week after next (2/21) and we start playing OUTDOORS the following week! Got to almost 75 here on Tuesday and seems to be hovering in the high 50s, so hopefully we will be ok.

I've played a few evenings over the past two weeks. It's been fine, and it's getting warmer.

 

[Cindysphinx]

You know what I've found, Topaz? If you lose the first set, then you have to win the points quickly to have any chance to beat the clock. That means hitting bigger and taking the net. I've actually had comebacks with this.

Now if I could just do it from the beginning of the match until waiting to fall behind. . . .

 

[amarone]

Here in Atlanta the winter season finishes next Saturday and the summer season (which is actually for 2009) will start June 1 (May 29 for weekday women).

 

[safins back]

4.0 Winston Salem, NC

 

[cmartin]

too early. Some as early as mid-February. Would be better if started late March/early April.

 

[volleyman]

I think the Cary and Raleigh leagues are starting early to try and get in all the matches. When you only play once a week, it takes a long while to get through a season of any meaningful length.

Durham starts later because it has weeknight leagues, which means you can play twice a week if necessary to squeeze the matches into a shorter season.

 

[fe6250]

I think the Cary and Raleigh leagues are starting early to try and get in all the matches. When you only play once a week, it takes a long while to get through a season of any meaningful length.

Durham starts later because it has weeknight leagues, which means you can play twice a week if necessary to squeeze the matches into a shorter season.

I agree it's a little early. We have a lot of teams this year in our league and I'm hoping the extra weeks will give us some bye weeks to work with as we get a LOT of rain outs in the spring.

 

[ChrisNC]

I agree it's a little early. We have a lot of teams this year in our league and I'm hoping the extra weeks will give us some bye weeks to work with as we get a LOT of rain outs in the spring.

There's talk of two flights in the Monday 3.5 as there are 16 teams. The problem is that 16 is a lot to squeeze in before May 31st and 8 is too few (IMO).

 

[fe6250]

There's talk of two flights in the Monday 3.5 as there are 16 teams. The problem is that 16 is a lot to squeeze in before May 31st and 8 is too few (IMO).

I totally agree with you there. 10 - 12 matches is the ideal, but tough to get there with 16 teams unless you went to three flights and played everybody 3 times - which doesn't seem to work well either.